Welcome to Skagit County
March 30th, 2011
Samish Bay closed to shellfish harvest due to high fecal coliform counts
SKAGIT COUNTY
- The Washington State Department of Health has closed Samish Bay for commercial
and recreational shellfish harvest due to high fecal coliform bacteria levels.
The State Department of Health has specific water quality criteria for Samish
Bay to ensure harvested shellfish are safe to eat.
When the Bay is closed, shellfish farms can't harvest crops and it is unsafe
to consume shellfish recreationally harvested from the bay. Farms may have
safe shellfish for sale during the closure that were either harvested prior
to the closure or brought in from growing areas elsewhere in the state.
The major sources of polluting bacteria in the Samish River watershed are:
-
Residential and business onsite septic systems
-
Various small and commercial farming operations with livestock
-
Farming operations that spread animal manure as fertilizer
-
Human recreational activities including boating, hunting, fishing, and hiking
-
Marine live-aboard boats
-
Waterfowl attracted to fields planted in grain
-
Mishandled pet waste
All of these sources,
if managed properly, need not pose a threat to water quality.
For more information on clean water efforts in the Samish Watershed, current
status of the bay (open or closed for harvest) and a calendar of Samish Bay
shellfish bed closures to date, visit www.skagitcounty.net/cleanwater.
For more information, contact Emma Whitfield at emmaw@co.skagit.wa.us
or at (360) 419-7667